


Misplacement

by Azereaux



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crime, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:23:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6667657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azereaux/pseuds/Azereaux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dino knew him. But until now, Hibari had never seen this stranger before. During the struggle for the rings, a grudge from six years past resurfaces, and a vengeful family is after the Cavallone head. Set during the Varia Arc. Sixteen!Dino/Present!Hibari, Present!D18</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cloud Guardian

**Author's Note:**

> Re-posting from my FF account. It's easier to upload new chapters and here, I also have direct access to reply to people to tell them no I have not abandoned this fic whereas it seems like otherwise on FF. This is for self-motivation: D18 has been my OTP for years no matter what fandom I jump into. So I'm gonna grit my teeth, and even if I'm not 100% satisfied I'm going to FINISH THIS THING.
> 
> As I have always said, to whomever reads this weird amalgamation of words that even I don't know how I thought it was good enough: Thanks for giving this a shot! DECEPTICONS, TRANSFORM AND RISE UP.

It was daytime in Namimori.

The sunlight filtered into the reception room, brightening the interior in a way the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling could never achieve. A wooden display case in the back corner held literature of all sorts, the glass front of it cleaned every day before the first toll of the school bell. The hardwood floor was swept and the small potted plant watered. A comfortable sofa inviting guests to sit was placed in the middle of the room before a coffee table. The wind outside today was particularly strong and forced its way through the mesh screen of the open window, upsetting the thin layer of dust on the windowsill inside, but it was clean and crisp and made the room feel fresh.

It was these little things that made Hibari love Namimori Middle School more than any other place in town, especially at the end of the school day, where the halls would be easy to maneuver with most - if not all - students gone. And with the chit chat of students and shoes running or squeaking down the halls absent, the silence was a comforting sign of finally being alone in his second home. He was sitting on the sofa with a book, and in his other hand was a ring – or half of one.

Hibari thought it was deadweight; a useless, ugly lump of circular metal. It was clear from a basic inspection that it was incomplete, being cut in such a way you could still slip it over a finger, but the top of the band and part of the design was missing. Instead, there were grooves to click in the other half, and he had been fiddling with it for the past hour between his fingers, absent mindlessly memorizing the feeling of the bumps and curves engraved into its surface.

Early in the morning before the start of school he found a small white envelope in his shoe locker. He would have thrown it away without a second thought if his curiosity had not been piqued; Hibari was usually the last one to leave the premises and always the first one to arrive. Yesterday when he left Namimori Middle there was nothing, but today as he went to exchange for his indoor shoes it had been lying there, and he wondered who could have beaten him to arrive to school first.

And of all things, to put a piece of paper into his locker.

He had seen people receive love letters before. Most of the time they were decorated, maybe cute stickers like a heart at the enclosure, and sometimes the envelope colour would have meaning too like a soft pink or yellow or blue. Hibari knew that there was no chance this was a confession; the sickly sweet colour pallet and decor was absent, and nobody in their right mind would ever consider him a possible romantic candidate, or much less hope to have their feelings returned. He was better than that.

When he had picked up the envelope he realized that it was too heavy to contain just a sheet, so he turned it upside down and out dropped the ring into his waiting palm. He then took out the letter and began to read.

_Hibari Kyouya,_

_You have been chosen to fulfill the role of the Cloud Guardian in Sawada Tsunayoshi's family. Consider your decision carefully._

_\- Reborn_

He had pocketed both the ring and letter. It figured that the only person who could put something into his locker without notice would be the baby. And while his mind was adamant on refusing the position, if this was important enough that he had to send a personal, handwritten letter he could at least find out what this 'family' was about.

The rest of his day had gone normally after that. He was still patrolling the grounds and bringing down his version of discipline. The students in the halls would scamper away into the safety of their groups and clear a path for him when he would pass by, careful not to say anything out of line when he was within earshot and careful not to make any physical contact whatsoever. He would go to the rooftop and sleep during lunch period. Kusakabe would regularly walk into the reception room and give updates as to how much order was being maintained. Sometimes he would end the report with a small note about the affairs of the other students like how Goro, in their class, was having girlfriend issues or that the Sawada kid was getting lectured for his poor grades again, and you could hear the teacher yelling from the opposite side of the door when you passed.

"Because," as Kusakabe had put it, "you seem to be getting pretty involved with Sawada's affairs. I thought you might've liked to know." Hibari had responded with a grunt; he didn't particularly care what that one was up to, but acknowledged the information anyway.

Now, he sat with his legs crossed at the knees as his eyes scanning through the pages of a book. He could comprehend the text well for having his focus divided; his thoughts kept going back to the ring. He didn't find it important at all, especially if this piece of metal would force interaction with others – he told himself that was all the reason he needed to decline the offer. Being the leader of the disciplinary committee was enough, they respected his need for privacy and didn't go out of their way to try and be friends. Family implied communication, commitment and trust; Hibari wasn't ready for that even with a handwritten notice.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made Hibari lose his place in the text, gradually getting louder as they moved closer to the reception room. He expected them to pass by, assuming that they belonged to teachers who still had work to gather and bring home. But the noise outside fell silent and he heard two male voices conversing lowly to each other. His gaze left the book and he turned his attention to the door. _Keep on walking_ , Hibari thought. He was hoping they decided to tie their shoelace or pick up some fallen papers, and that stopping in front of the entrance was a mere coincidence.

But when he heard the door sliding open, his hope was gone and replaced with mounting irritation. Everybody from students to teachers knew better than to suddenly interrupt his privacy. Even committee members never burst through the door when they were giving him reports. He had trained them to knock before entering, unless they wanted to find themselves at the wrong end of his tonfa.

There were two of them, and the elder of the pair was lingering behind as they made their way into the room. He had black hair, glasses and wearing a simple suit. He appeared mature - if it wasn't for age, it was the demeanor he carried about him; the way he quietly walked into the room as if he tried to lessen the fact that he was imposing, and the calm expression on his face. However, no matter how many years older he was than the younger man, his position behind the other - _following like a dog to its master -_ told him that he wasn't the important figure.

On the other hand, the lazily smirking blond one was irritating. Slightly ruffled hair, a fur trimmed hooded jacket and cargo pants. Scuffed white sneakers that – Hibari thought – made too loud of a thud against the floorboards as he stepped closer. If it wasn't obvious he was too old to be attending Namimori Middle School, it was how he was casually dressed.

Completely out of uniform.

At least the older male could pass as a teacher with his attire. Appearances aside, their complete and utter disregard for the rules was another sign that they did not belong. First, no one was to disturb his privacy; second, if the cause for disruption is necessary, you knock before you enter; third, you must _always_ be in uniform or properly dressed within the building. The blond one spoke up.

"You are Hibari Kyouya."

Definitely foreign. Though well spoken, the accent in his Japanese was a giveaway if his hair colour wasn't enough. Hibari wondered about his reason to be here.

"... You are?"

"I'm like an older brother to Tsuna, and an acquaintance of Reborn. You have the cloud ring, right?"

"The baby?" Hibari responded, finding something in the man's sentence worthy of attention. Nothing else he said mattered. "If you know him, shouldn't you be strong?"

The whip coiled in his hands – definitely looking for a fight, Hibari concluded, there was no other reason why he would be brandishing it in full view. Either way, he looked too soft to be carrying such a weapon, much less possessing the expertise on how to use it. But if Reborn had taught him anything, it was not to take appearance lightly.

"I don't care about the ring," Hibari said, rising up from the sofa. "I just want to bite you to death."

Dino's smirk grew. "Problematic as ever."


	2. Six Years

Romario kept a safe distance away from the fight, his back pressed against the chain-link fence surrounding the perimeter of the school rooftop.

The crack of a whip pierced the air, and a heavy footfall sounded as Hibari diverted to the side. Regaining his posture he charged straight ahead, tonfa handles gripped tightly; the previous attack was aimed for his face and he decided to return the favour. Closing in, he thrust one arm upward and Dino just barely dodged the strike from breaking his jaw – positive that if he had been any slower in reaction, the hit would've sent him straight to the hospital.

"You're pretty good," Dino said.

"I'm going easy on you."

In a second attempt to break bones he swung his tonfa again, but was disappointed when he didn't hear the sickening crack he was hoping for. Instead the older man jumped back, supporting himself on one foot behind.

"Do you have to aim for my face every time?"

Hibari moved to get close again, annoyance at his inability to land a hit becoming apparent the more impulsive he became. Dino predicted the advance and in a quick response used his whip to coil around the hand that was in mid-swing. Hibari's eyes widened when he realized he couldn't move his arm – or his body – freely. The restraint forced him forward as Dino pulled on the whip, and he tried to balance his footing as he was tugged along.

Dino smirked. "You're good, but predictable - let me teach you."

"No." He responded flatly.

The immediate rejection was a surprise, and Dino absently loosened his hold. He began, "Wha-"

Then the bite of steel to his temple stopped him and he stumbled back, a pressure building behind his eyes had his vision swimming as he gripped the side of his head and tried to recover. Through the sharpening pain he could feel his pulse rushing beneath his skin. He removed his hand from the wound and looked at his palm. Dino saw blood.

He grit his teeth. "That hurt."

"Are you going to cry now?" Hibari mocked. "Good."

"You're unbelievable."

The fight continued. Romario was still against the fence, sitting instead of standing now, and taking sips from a drink he had bought from a nearby vending machine. He didn't say anything to his boss the whole time, afraid that he would have accidentally divided his attention. He also didn't want Hibari to think that Dino needed help – he was a strong and capable man. He could handle himself.

The sun was starting to hang low in the sky, an orange tinge creeping up over the horizon. Dino had discarded his jacket earlier; it was pushed to the side, a footprint evident on the fabric when he had kicked it out of the way. Sweat was dripping down his neck and his muscles were starting to feel sore. Hibari still had his tonfa bared and ready, but the fringe of his dark hair clung to his forehead, and he was breathing heavily through his mouth.

"Boss!" Romario called out when he felt the moment was opportune. Both men were at an impasse from weariness. "It's getting late. Shouldn't we call it a day?"

"Well," Dino said, "what do you say?"

"Running away?"

"Not at all. If you want, we can train tomorrow."

"Train? There's nothing you can teach me," Hibari said, assessing the damage: a bleeding temple, multiple large bruises and cuts. Hopefully a cracked rib or two. Anyone who allowed that many wounds to be inflicted was useless as a teacher.

"Hey now, aren't you tired?" Dino tried to reason, exhausted himself. "Let's clean ourselves up and have something to eat instead."

There was a change in Dino's posture – his shoulders visibly relaxed, and the hand out front brandishing the whip fell back to his side. After a moment of suspicion, when Hibari was certain a surprise attack wasn't going to happen anytime soon, he followed suit and lowered his guard. He knew he could have taken the opportunity, but it was like crushing an ant; it proved nothing if the opponent offered no challenge. Without a word he walked past Dino, almost bumping their shoulders together if the older man hadn't moved aside, and headed for the door that led back downstairs.

"Huh? Hey Kyouya, wait!" Hibari chose not to respond, but before he could leave the rooftop he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"If you don't want to fight, what else are you good for?" He shoved the hand away from himself. "If you have no other business, leave the school grounds at once. Visiting hours has been over for a while."

"But-"

"Any longer you are here is considered _trespassing_ , and if you don't go now I'll make you leave."

"You'll make me leave, huh?" When Dino showed no signs of moving, Hibari was about to reach for his tonfa when he said, "If you insist – can you show me the way out?"

He gave him an incredulous look. "Are you stupid? The same way you entered the building."

"C'mon. Humour me."

"Boss does get lost pretty easily," Romario said, walking up from behind.

Hibari glanced at him then back at Dino, who was waiting for him to answer the request. Seeing no other alternative that would make the two leave – _quickly_ – with a frown Hibari reluctantly complied. He turned the door handle and began walking down the stairs. When he didn't immediately hear the pair following he paused momentarily on the steps and cast a brief glance backward, then resumed his descent. Receiving the hint Dino started down the steps, with Romario closely behind.

Inside, Hibari began to lead through the corridors that would take them to the front entrance and out. The small things that were everyday about the school were details Dino couldn't help but take in, a lifestyle so different from his own. He gazed out the long stretch of windows that lined the wall, saw the concrete ground painted orange from the setting sun; the silhouettes of the trees planted in orderly rows, but their leaves erratic. How the sunlight was playing with the environment outside was a stark contrast to the interior of the school, which he thought was rather sterile-looking and uninspiring – this opinion was something he would never let Hibari know. Their quiet walk was sometimes punctured by questions from Dino, who only got ignored as an answer, yet it didn't deter him from talking.

"Which one of them is yours?" Referring to empty classroom after classroom they had passed, he couldn't help but glance inside every single one. Whenever he had slowed down too much from inspecting the interiors, behind him Romario would nudge him along with a raised eyebrow and a hand against his back. With an apologetic smile, he would turn facing forward, only to be distracted by something else.

"Namimori Middle Baseball Club," Dino said after reading a poster tacked to a notice board - probably the only place he saw where disorder was allowed inside the school. It stood out against the white walls, papers of various colours and size haphazardly stuck diagonal, straight or nearly falling off. "Come try-out today," he continued, "we're always happy to find new members." He was amused by a crudely drawn picture of a boy holding a baseball bat at the bottom of the page, his spiky black hair looking more like a porcupine sitting on top of his head.

After descending the staircase that led back to the main floor the hallway finally started looking familiar to Dino, in view the large front doors were straight ahead. Hibari tilted his head in its direction and said, "Now get out."

"You aren't going home yet?" Dino asked, watching the prefect walk back into the reception room.

Hibari came to a halt at the doorway and turned to face Dino as he replied, "No."

"It's getting dark outside, will you be safe?"

"Yes."

"You sure? I could walk you home or ...something..." He trailed off when he received an unimpressed look. Beside him, Dino heard Romario chuckle.

"Namimori is safe," Hibari stated as fact.

"Um, alright. Cool." Feeling a little awkward, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Bye, Kyouya. See you later."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you call me that?"

Dino shrugged. "You've always been Kyouya to me."

"We've only just met."

It took a moment of confusion before something clicked in his brain, and his face lit up with realization. "Right! This is the first time you've seen me – I didn't even tell you my name yet. It's Dino Cavallone."

"I don't care."

Then he slid the door shut, taking the key hanging from the wall and locking it, checking twice with a firm pull to the side that it couldn't be opened. He sat back down onto the sofa, picking up the book he had been reading but was forced to neglect. Before he had cracked it open, he took a sadistic pleasure from hearing the door rattling in place, and the man who was with Dino wasn't even trying to hold back his laugh anymore.

"I forgot how much of an ass he could be," Dino muttered, giving up on the door.

Even if he was smiling, Romario was still sympathetic. With a comforting hand he gave a light squeeze to Dino's shoulder, the other offering him his coat back. "Don't worry Boss, he'll come around eventually. Let's go back to the hotel."

They left the building. It was the heavy thud of the doors that notified Hibari of their departure, and he relaxed further into his seat with the knowledge that he was actually – finally – alone. He savored the next hour reading, feeling quite accomplished when he finished the last sentence and snapped the book shut with one hand. However, if he was being honest with himself, he had wanted to go home long ago. He just didn't want to leave when Dino was, lest have him following and talking incessantly the whole journey. Besides, the notion of Dino knowing where he lived was unsettling.

Through the window he could see that the sun had disappeared and the ink sky made him yawn, telling him that it was night – it was time to sleep. He opened the cabinet behind and put the book back into its place before heading out of Namimori Middle School.

The way home was quiet, the only sound on the streets were his shoes tapping against the pavement, and the lamps illuminated his path back. He didn't live too far from the school, so rising early in the morning to be the first to arrive wasn't as difficult of a task for him as the other students would like to believe. Only committee members knew where he lived, and therefore were the only ones privy to his 'secret', if it could be called one. He didn't try to keep it a real secret – he didn't leave the house only when he was sure no one was around – it was that nobody had ever asked him where he lived. It worked to his favour, however, as he preferred it that way.

Hibari didn't think of himself as a person who wouldn't be talked about, it was inevitable. Everyone at school knew his name due to his status as disciplinary leader, but he didn't expect a rumour mill would have occurred because of it. A ridiculous one at that. He only got wind of them when one day when Kusakabe had been giving one of his reports, that he overheard some first years who heard from some second years who in turn heard from some third years that the Hibari family had ties with the Yakuza, and that's why he had such an influence over the town – which was entirely untrue. At least the Yakuza part was, anyway. Another one was that he had a huge tattoo covering his back, some students had _sworn_ they saw a glimpse of it once when he walked by them, and that's why he always wore his jacket over his shoulders. Their uniform shirts were thin enough that the colours would show through the fabric, and he didn't want anyone to see it. Also untrue.

Almost halfway home he rounded the street corner, deciding to take a shortcut through an alley when he stopped himself from knocking into a man who was already there. The man in front of him did the same, stumbling a bit and looking at Hibari with surprised eyes before stepping around him and lowering his head to look down at the ground.

"Sorry," he mumbled past Hibari.

 _Another foreigner_ , he thought before walking into the alleyway.

Then his vision was flooded with white smoke.

His lungs felt as if the air inside of them was sucked out. His ears popped, his body felt like it was being compressed as if he was in an elevator very quickly going up, and his knees felt weak. But before his mind could register what was happening, his body felt normal again though his ears were ringing and the smoke was gone from view.

At first he was surprised. Hibari blinked multiple times just to make sure that white smoke wouldn't be there the next time he opened them. Everything was dark, but the full moon in the sky help his eyes adjust quickly to the environment around him, and it left him more confused than before.

He was standing in an empty courtyard, an unused fountain in the middle of the area, the basin dried up and the large stone column from where the water should have been pouring from fragmented and broken. The surrounding building didn't look any better, its bricks rough and cracked from exposure to the elements without maintenance. The only thing in the area that didn't seem so decayed was the plants; they seemed to thrive off the years of absence from human interference. The bushes around the building reached a height that nearly covering the first-story windows, and the vines crawling up the building had reached the roof.

Hibari didn't know where he was.

He decided to explore – maybe something would tell him if there was a way out. Standing still like a scared animal wasn't going to get him any closer to home; where he was didn't matter as much as getting back to town.

Beneath the thick and wild grass growing beneath his feet there was a cobbled path. Tracing with his eyes he could see the faint outline of where it led to, breaking off into four directions at the fountain. He was standing on one of the paths, and as he followed it he realized it led him straight to the building's front door.

Hibari wondered if it opened. It was locked, but the handle rattled loosely in its socket, and the rusted hinges looked as if they would swing the door open if he broke off the handle.

"Hey!"

To his side, there was a man running and pointing at him. He was yelling, but Hibari didn't understand – he didn't need to. All he needed to know was that the man had a gun. He could see him reaching beneath his coat and the barrel glinting dangerously in the moonlight.

He reacted quickly. He darted at the man, closing the space between enough to let the chains hidden at the end of tonfa wrap around the man's wrists. He pulled downward and the man's hands followed the direction of the force. His finger on the trigger, he shot downward by accident, getting himself in the foot.

"Ah!" He yelled out loud, dropping the gun to the floor.

Hibari retracted the chains and hit him hard in the back of the head with his tonfa and he dropped to the floor, out cold. He would have preferred to have instantly knocked him out, but Hibari knew he wouldn't have made it on time before he shot the gun. He didn't want to admit it, but there were two things he got from the fight with Dino today: an injured knee that slowed his movements considerably, and the technique he had used was a variant of what had been done to him today.

The sound of the gun created an alert, and footsteps were running in his direction. Hibari narrowed his eyes, felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins as he prepared for a fight. He was irritated – very irritated at his current situation. He wanted to go home and arrive to school early in the morning as usual. He wanted to be asleep right now, and he absolutely hated when something prevented him from doing so.

"I'm going to bite you to death," he said. He wanted bloodshed. The footsteps were growing louder and in number after he had made his presence known. He clenched the tonfa in hands, preparing his offensive stance.

He was so focused on the impending fight that he was surprised when he felt himself being pulled from behind and into the bushes.


	3. Second First Times

The strong tug made him stumble and he fell into the shrubbery around the building, soft leaves and mulch making the impact on his backside softer. There was movement as the person made room to accommodate Hibari into the space and in turn he quickly gazed down at the hand, its grip twisted into the fabric of his sleeve. He trailed his eyes up to the face of his assailant, but the dim light of moon and the few lowly burning lamps were blocked out by the leaves and scattered into patches, making visibility low in the small hiding space. Instead, all Hibari saw was a dark figure with no discernible features, but he could hear breathing so shallow, the shaking quality of every inhale and exhale felt palpable as if it was his own chest rapidly moving up and down; it made him acutely aware of his own breath.

Hibari motioned to get up from the ground, but the grip on his sleeve tightened.

He glared at the obscured face. "Release me."

The figure leaned in close to his ear and began to whisper, and it was by the voice Hibari was able to find that his assailant was male.

"What?" He said. Then the boy started to speak again albeit slower, but it did nothing to help the language barrier or his growing frustration.

"I don't have time for this," Hibari said, managing to remove himself up from the ground in a crouch when something he heard caught his attention. He turned around. "You speak Japanese?"

"L-little," the boy admitted. He pointed to the yard beyond the hedges. "Don't – danger."

"And?"

"Um...there's fighting. Don't go."

Hibari nodded his head slowly in understanding of the dangers waiting, but when he felt the grip on his sleeve loosen he said, "Sounds interesting."

Then Hibari pushed him back down to the dirt, delivering a swift kick to the boy's side hoping the pain would keep him down just long enough before he attempted to once again prevent him from leaving, and to assert he wasn't on anybody's side in the situation – comrades didn't injure comrades. However, he only got as far as to move a few branches away from in front of his face when Hibari felt arms encircling his waist, dragging him back down and landing into the lap of the boy. He had a tight hold, and Hibari had never felt more uncomfortable and abashed in his whole life, even if no one could see them, not even each other in the dim light. He had underestimated the boy's determination or cowardice, unsure of which one it truly was.

"Boy," Hibari began, an edge to his tone, "let go."

He shook his head.

" _Now_ ," he said as one final warning.

"No."

"You –"

A hand clamped over Hibari's mouth – and if the boy thought that danger lurked about outside his hiding spot, with one action, he had brought the danger in. Grip tightening around the handles of his tonfa, he was about to strike when he stopped mere inches from his torso as soon as he heard the nervous breathing return.

There were people in the courtyard now, and the chirping of the insects was overwhelmed by the voices of men conversing, unnatural and displaced in volume compared to the peace of the night. Even with his view obscured, Hibari had an idea about what was happening from the gasps of two men lifting the weight of an unconscious body from the grass to the footsteps coming from all directions as they began to patrol the area in search of those responsible. And all he could do was wait, hoping they would leave.

Hibari was impulsive – but not stupid, and he wasn't going to let the thrill of adrenaline blur his judgement. He knew the disadvantage to giving away their current position, sprawled out on the dirt and legs shambled awkwardly together. If he hadn't been dragged into such a compromising state he probably could've handled them.

As punishment for their current situation, Hibari bit down onto the soft flesh of the boy's palm. He hissed in pain, but didn't remove his hand from his mouth, not even after Hibari began digging his nails into the backside of his hand. He gave credit for tenacity, but he was tired of giving unwarranted sympathy and had decided when they were in the safe the boy was not to leave unscathed.

The men were close now. Hibari could hear the grass bending beneath their steps until finally he saw a single black shoe, moonlight shining off the polished leather, standing in the same spot he had stood before being pulled through the thicket. Had he been that close? Hibari wondered. An arm's length – if he reached out he could probably grab hold of a pant leg, close enough that if they were to accidentally move even just slightly it could be heard, close enough that any breath taken too deep or exhaled too loudly could alarm the man. The boy also seemed to notice this; Hibari could feel the hand against his mouth beginning to tremble.

And there he stood, for quite some time, just beyond the hiding spot. Hibari began to wonder if he should just beat the boy quiet then grab the man and smash his teeth in before he could warn the others. He was starting to fidget, unaccustomed to being enclosed for such long periods – or what felt like it. The boy against him was also beginning to feel too warm and if he wasn't already – back to chest and arms wrapped around his body – too close.

 _Quickly_ , Hibari thought, _I can take them both_ –

Gunshots rang sharp and powerful from afar.

A few more loud bursts then the noise stopped and the man was suddenly gone, along with the view of his shoe as he ran off. Occupied with a new concern and abandoning their current objective, they scrambled from their positions, footsteps retreating from the yard and heading in the direction of the sound.

It happened so suddenly that it had even taken Hibari by surprise, but he recovered from it just as quickly, waiting a good minute before considering it safe. In a swift motion he thrust his elbow into the boy's solar plexus and Hibari felt hands crumpling away from his body. Satisfied, he took the opportunity to move.

With his new found freedom Hibari inhaled the crisp night air, finding that it felt better in his lungs than the damp earth. He wondered how the boy could stay hidden away in the bushes without being bothered by the heavy smell of dirt pressing at him from all sides, but it was only a brief thought before his mind turned to more important matters; he began to concerned himself with getting back to Namimori. Finding an exit from the commotion was his main priority, but even so, with the men lurking around on high alert, some entertainment was bound to appear.

Behind him there was rustling, and Hibari turned around to see the boy crawling out from the bushes, a hand around his stomach while he used his other forearm to support his body up from the ground and gasped, still feeling winded from the hit. Then slowly he stood, brushing the soil and dead leaves from his pants, and when he brought his head up Hibari finally got a chance to see his face.

At first he thought he was seeing things – a trick of the light. But he couldn't deny the features on the boy looked oddly familiar, even if he had only seen them once before. And was he crying? There was a slight red rim around his eyes, and his nose seemed to also look flushed compared to the rest of his face.

What was his name again? He didn't remember too well – only that it had started with a 'D' sound, but the last name was something he didn't hear every day. He remembered how odd it sounded when he was tossing the syllables in his head after slamming the door in the man's face.

"... Cavallone?" He asked, already anticipating the answer.

"Yes?"

But something was off. The baby fat around his face wasn't fully gone, his jaw not as defined. And though Hibari hated to admit, he didn't have to crane his neck up as high when looking at him from this close of a distance.

It couldn't be the Cavallone he was thinking of, Hibari concluded, it was illogical – no one could regress their age. Besides, he didn't see a tattoo anywhere on his body. Perhaps he had a younger brother that looked eerily similar.

"What's your name?"

"Dino." Hibari blinked in surprise by the response, but continued his interrogation.

"Age?"

"S-sixteen."

Hibari noticed Dino seemed to have a better comprehension of Japanese rather than when he spoke it.

"Where am I?"

No response. He asked again.

"Where am I?"

Still no response. He was beginning to think that Dino wasn't quite as knowledgeable as he thought, but a look at his face told him that he was distracted by something behind Hibari. Instead of his face, Dino was looking over his shoulder. His eyes were wide and he seemed frozen in place, mouth parted like he wanted to say something.

Hibari reacted. He whipped around and saw someone running toward them, blade in hand. Even if the man had been noticed he didn't care, instead he ran faster believing to have the advantage: two unarmed teenagers against a knife – or so he thought.

Hibari began running straight back at him, surprising the man with his boldness, causing him to falter in his steps and giving an unneeded edge in their game of chicken. Before the man could even try, one strike to the head was all it took before he too went out just like his partner before him, sprawled on the ground in an unsightly manner, weapon fallen from his hand.

He scoffed. If he had known earlier how simple this would be, he wouldn't have stayed hidden. Meanwhile, Dino had made his way beside Hibari and wiped away at his own eyes, crying out of both fear and gratitude.

"Thank you," Dino said.

"I didn't do it for you," Hibari replied, beginning to scan his surroundings. If he couldn't get an answer from the boy, he was going to find his own way around. The courtyard was an area enclosed by the four high walls of the building and there seemed to be only one exit – the route the men had left through. Dino sensed what was passing through his mind.

"No." He began tugging at his sleeve again. "Come."

Hibari pulled his arm away. "Why?"

"Another way."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Dino shook his head in disagreement, and then pointed at the door. "Safe."

"How do you know?"

He spread his arms. "Cavallone's."

"Wasn't very smart, leading the enemy straight to your house."

Dino shook his head. "Home? No."

"Uh huh," he replied absently, not really concerned with what Dino had to say. Instead, his eyes trailed back to the so-called unsafe route. He wondered how many men there were and if they were strong. The previous two had been nothing but mere disappointments.

Noticing his wavering attention Dino tried to regain it back and seized Hibari's hand into his own.

"What are you doing," Hibari said, tactic proving effective as he snapped a glare down at their hands.

"Help me," he said. Then as an afterthought he added, "Please."

"Help you with what?"

"Home."

"You want to go home?"

He began nodding his head fervently.

"You should know how – this is your territory, is it not?"

"But..."

"But what."

"It's... um, it's –"

"Spit it out." Hibari demanded.

"It's dangerous." Dino had been using that word – danger – quite frequently, and he wasn't ignorant to how the atmosphere around Hibari would worsen whenever he used it. He squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating pain, but nothing happened. He took a peek at Hibari, and instead saw the boy looking contemplative rather than furious as expected.

"Why do you trust me," Hibari said, more of a statement than a question.

"Our side."

"Who is with you."

"Them – Japanese."

"Oh?" He said, interest piqued. Hibari was hoping for some coherent answers; talking to Dino was exhausting. "Let me speak with them."

Dino shook his head. "Too dangerous."

"You keep saying that, boy." He jabbed Dino in the rib with his tonfa – a gentle reminder of his capabilities. "I'll show you what real danger is."

The threat went ignored, and Hibari felt his hand being squeezed tighter.

" _Please._ "

There was a desperation to his tone, and it looked like Dino was once again about to cry. His bottom lip was quivering, and he was trying his hardest to keep the sob from escaping his throat. Something in Hibari told him that Dino knew how pitiful he seemed – all the crying, hiding, and pleading – but he was using the last shreds of his dignity to keep his eyes firmly locked with Hibari's.

He did need to make a quick decision; there was still a man on the ground after all, and they needed to leave before anyone noticed him missing or before he woke up. And while he was staring at Dino, he took in how small he looked when he was scared, how weak the grip he had on his hand felt, how helpless he looked when crying. A brief sense of loathing overcame Hibari.

Then he said, "Where is home."

Dino felt as if the world started turning again.

His eyes lit up. "Thank you," he said, voice choked.

"But one condition."

"Yes?"

"You don't cry."

"O-okay."

Hibari shook his hand off. "And don't touch me."

Dino wanted to retort that he had just provided two conditions but knew better than to say anything, fully aware of whose mercy he was at now, even if he agreed to it. Instead he nodded, taking a few steps on the path with renewed vigour.

"Here," he said, standing in front of the door Hibari had noticed beforehand. Dino began wiggling its handle. "It's locked."

The situation felt oddly familiar. "Of course, for you it always is," Hibari muttered, a secret insult thrown into the statement. He walked up to the door. "Move."

Dino took a step back and he swung his tonfa, watching as the old handle clattered to the floor. Then he pushed door and it swung open, rusted hinged providing no resistance against his actions.

He was waiting for Dino to move, but when the boy just continued to stand in place he spoke. "This is your territory, find us a way out."

"Huh? Oh – s-sorry," he said, snapping out of his reverie and walking into the building. Hibari cast a curious glance to the back of his head, and then followed him in.

Though on the outside the building looked rather derelict and old, Hibari was surprised to find that inside the building looked quite livable and used. He would even go as far as to describe it as comfortable, and almost felt sorry he had just broken one of the entrances. There were plenty of rooms he was led to snake through, a few just stacked with old belongings and used as a storage space, while others had furniture like a well-worn table and wooden chairs. There was even some art on the walls. He was also amazed that he could see these things at all – there was running electricity and someone had been using it. But it was a maze; some areas they encountered were dark, some had the lights on. If he was asked to trace back his steps, Hibari was sure he would've ended up somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

It was for this exact reason why he kept close behind Dino, who kept peeking through doorways and either continuing on or suddenly turned quickly around with wide eyes and creating another route through the seemingly endless amounts of rooms and hallways. They weren't alone. Hibari could hear that strange language being spoken muffled by walls, and Dino didn't want to be caught by them, so they tip-toed and crept around.

But it was hard to be stealthy when the boy was ridiculously clumsy – another reason why he kept so close behind was to catch him when he tripped. Hibari found that it was just easier to brace his fall than it was to prevent it. Yes it was annoying, but his tears even more so. With great self-restraint Hibari stopped himself from just bursting through room after room and attacking everyone, friend or foe damned.

He just wanted to go home.

Finally Dino spoke. "There," he pointed toward another door. Because of all the detours, it had taken them longer to reach than either of them expected.

"That's the way?" He whispered back.

Dino nodded, walking up and opening the exit. But the hinges whined loudly, and the people in the next room over were alarmed. Chairs were heard scraping as they got up from their positions.

There was no point in keeping the silence any longer. "Hurry!" Dino called, motioning for Hibari to leave first. Meanwhile, the other two in the building had burst through into the hallway, guns aimed in their direction, but when they saw who was standing at the door they lowered their weapons.

"Dino?" They said at the same moment, incredulous at who was sneaking about, considering to whom the property belonged.

He nervously waved at them in greeting and feigned a smile, but as soon as Hibari had gone outside, he yelled a hasty goodbye and ran after him without sparing an explanation. Dino could hear them yelling at his back, calling for him to wait and at least explain his behaviour, but their voices grew distant and easier to ignore the further he got.

They stopped running when – with Dino's directions – they had reached a road and the building was unseen when they looked back, swallowed in the black of night. Dino was bent over, hands on his knees and gasping for breath and smiling because he didn't know what else to do, thankful they didn't encounter any real hostility.

"Thank you," he said, repeating the phrase a few times over.

"Don't thank me yet," Hibari replied, brushing the sweat from the side of his face. "That is, unless you live here on the street."

"Right." Dino said, mood immediately sober. He took a few more deep breaths before looking down the road and pointed off into the distance. "That way."

Their journey began anew. They walked on the side of the road, streetlights far and few in between, but thankfully Dino had remembered to pick up a flashlight from inside the building. The mosquitoes were attracted to their sweat; Dino batted them away from his face and killed them when they made contact with his skin, and Hibari had taken his jacket from his shoulders and worn it properly, buttoned up to his neck for extra protection. The crickets sounded louder than ever without their heartbeats drumming in their ears.

Once, a friendly driver had stopped by asking if they needed a lift. Dino had thanked the woman but declined, and Hibari listened as the hum of the engine faded away along with the tail lights of the car. They had met no one else on the road after that.

The walk was silent, giving Hibari time to mull over things in his mind. The fatigue of the day was finally catching up to him, adrenaline gone and company exhausting; this was the longest time in memory that he had to interact with another human being. It was Dino's incessant whining that had landed him on the side of a dirt road, surrounded by a barrage of mosquitoes with itching bites and aching feet. Under the circumstances he had forgotten his initial reason for helping the boy, and all he could do now was escort him back.

Where is home.

Hibari remembered that was what he – regrettably – said to initiate the events, and what Dino didn't know was that the statement was half-directed at himself. And though he had decided to follow through with his agreement, there were still many more things he didn't know about the situation he had been put in.

The questions that had been irking Hibari broke the silence. "This isn't Namimori," he said already knowing the answer; he just needed someone else to confirm for him.

Dino gave him a funny look. "Namimori?"

"My hometown."

"No."

"Then where am I?"

"Italy."

Hibari blinked.

" _What?_ " That wasn't an answer he was expecting at all. "So the language you speak..."

"Hm? Oh, Italian."

"And those men yelling at you. Are they your comrades?"

"...Yeah."

Hibari was curious. "Why were you running from them?"

Dino sighed. He pointed to himself then said, "Stay."

It took a moment before Hibari understood what he meant. "They would've made you stay."

He nodded, and then kicked a rock along the path. They both watched as it tumbled off the road and lost its way in the grass.

"And those men in the courtyard."

"The other side."

"I see."

He stopped asking questions, given enough information to contemplate. He wondered how did he end up – of all places – in Italy? Not only that, but in the middle of a feud. And the Cavallone he was with was nothing more than a weak coward, very much unlike the one he had fought on the school rooftop who was exuding, to Hibari, a disgusting amount of brazen self-confidence. But though he hated to admit his confidence was not unfounded, he was skilled – something he'd never say out loud.

Hibari rationalized that he was dreaming –a very vivid, detailed one. It was the only explanation for his misplacement, and as to why Cavallone was his age. Ever since he had accidentally gotten involved with the little animal and his crowd, increasingly odd activities had been happening to him.

Not long after his interrogation Dino finally said, "There!"

The road ahead turned right, but just before the bend it broke off onto a cobbled path leading up a small hill. A house was situated on the top surrounded by carefully planted trees and hedges.

"So that's it," Hibari said, impressed by its stature.

"Yeah. Come!"

"What did I say? Deal's off, you touched me." Now that Dino was back, he wanted to find his home. Or wake up.

"No." He pointed to Hibari's jacket. "Not you."

"Cheeky – but not convincing. Goodbye."

Then Dino shouted, "Namimori!"

He looked back. "What about it?"

"I'll help you." He gestured for money with his hands by rubbing his thumb against his index and middle finger. "Plane."

"You'll pay too? How generous."

"One condition."

"Oh? So have we reversed roles?"

Dino nodded, and Hibari crossed his arms.

"What are your terms."

"Come with me."

Hibari glanced down to his outstretched hand, wondering if his sarcasm had been lost in translation when he noticed that Dino was serious in his offer. He wondered if the boy blindly trusted anybody who showed him the slightest amount of compassion. He disliked the overly friendly, eager types; he had always found them to be two-faced or incredibly stupid. Dino seemed to fall into the latter. But the offer seemed to be the only straightforward option; he couldn't think of another way to get home like a plane ticket would. He decided to amuse the offer.

"I accept," he said, reaching out and taking his hand – but then Hibari gripped hard and pulled the boy down eye to eye. "But let me make this very clear that if you trick me" – Dino clenched his teeth from the pain and Hibari smiled, enjoying the view – "I will bite you to death."

Then he released his hold and began his ascent toward the house as if he hadn't just threatened the owner. Dino flexed his fingers, trying to ease the pain he felt in his knuckles and trailed behind Hibari, unsure as to whether he made the right decision. But he hadn't lied about helping him, and he wasn't about to go back on his word because he was having second thoughts about the nature of the boy – _do ut des_ ; it was now his turn to give back. Even if he seemed cruel – too strong of a word, Dino thought – like a jerk, he hadn't tried to kill him; in fact, he had attacked those who were making those very attempts on his life. And though his help had been unintentional or begrudging, something in his intuition told him the boy wasn't as cold as he appeared.

"Hey," Dino suddenly realized. He tapped the black haired teen on the shoulder. "Your name?"

"Hibari Kyouya."

"I'm Dino Cavallone."

"I know."

"... Oh."

They had finally reached the top of the hill, and while from a distance the house had already seemed large, up-close its full size was even more impressive. Three stories high with windows evenly spread across the expanse of its brick walls on every level, and a few accessible jutting structures attached to the roof. A large stone construct that looked like a dried-up and re-purposed well enclosed planted shrubs in front of the main entrance. Dino ran ahead of Hibari and to the door, hand fumbling in his pocket as he searched for the key.

When he had found it, he undid the lock and Hibari had made his way beside him, jacket unbuttoned and draped again around his shoulders. With the anxiety and uncertainty now a memory, Dino turned to him. His arm fidgeted, almost reaching out to shake his hand again or to pull him into a hug, but Dino thought better of it, knowing Hibari would appreciate his display of gratitude in a much less physical manner. Instead, he smiled.

"Thank y –"

Then for the second time that night, the world was covered in smoke – Hibari felt reality take a half step sideways, body being squeezed to another location in time and space. And as soon as it had happened the feeling stopped.

The first thing he did when he felt everything was normal again was to jolt up from his position when he found that he had been lain down. Then he took in a deep breath, regaining the breath in his lungs that had been lost, but things felt different – _were_ different. For one, the sweet smell of grass that hung in the night air was absent, and when he looked to his side Dino wasn't beside him, nor was he in front of the Cavallone residence. Instead he was facing a wall, a blanket covering him. His head had been resting on a pillow.

His eyes had already been adjusted to the dark. Hibari looked around wondering where he could have been transported to next when he realized where he was situated looked very familiar, from the bookshelf against the wall to the view outside the window. To his satisfaction he was his own room, settled down in his own bed. But as fortunate as he found the situation, there was confusion – he hadn't remembered making it home.

What he did remember was that weird flash of white in the alleyway and a boy travelling with him across the Italian countryside, listening to people conversing in a language he didn't understand and caught in the middle of a fight that didn't concern him. There was no way he could rationalize being in one country then crossing the continent to be in another in a single night. Still, the details were clear in his mind. But if he was in bed, Hibari thought he could have been lucid dreaming, and running on the school rooftop for a better portion of the early evening could explain the ache in his feet.

He looked down at himself and realized he was still in his school uniform, frowning that he even had his shoes on. He wondered how he had ended up like this; had fighting the man really made him that exhausted that he couldn't even remember the evening? Maybe that could explain why his vision kept blanking out. But he was in Namimori – that was what mattered.

Maybe it all had been a dream.


	4. Deals

Hibari was exhausted.

He had found it hard to sleep, which was rare, spending most of the night staring out his window or tossing about in bed. It wasn't until the sky had transitioned from ink black into deep blue had he been able to rest, and now there was a weariness that just wouldn't leave his bones. Where lack of sleep would make most sluggish and disoriented, Hibari became falsely acute and snappy. He found it easy to take out his frustration on the students, and the disciplinary committee members were especially cautious. They gave him more personal space than usual and excused themselves as quick as possible. Even Kusakabe had decided to ditch the chitchat he tacked onto the end of his reports.

Being in class itself had been a test of willpower as the drone of the teacher's voice lulled his mind elsewhere. The blackboard would waver in and out of focus and his eyes would slip shut, but sleeping in class would have put a mark on the disciplinary committee, his pride worth more than his discomfort. The tired feeling was temporary, Hibari told himself, but the shame of giving in now would be forever; it was this thought that kept him awake. He tapped his fingers against his leg, anxious as he watched the clock, its hands moving much too slow for his liking. He shuffled his feet under his desk a few times, began picking at the label on his eraser – anything that would keep him awake without causing a disruption – and when the lunch break began he couldn't be happier to slip away from class for a nap.

Up on the rooftop Hibari could feel the days beginning to cool down as autumn settled deeper into Namimori; warmth could no longer be felt in the breeze that rustled his hair. The chill of the concrete seeped through the layers of his jacket and the thin cotton of his shirt against his back as he lay down, and he felt the slightest nip in the air against his cheeks. He knew that soon it would be no longer comfortable to come up here and that he would have to retreat into the reception room as the temperature steadily dropped. Still, Hibari wanted to extend his visits to the rooftop for as long as possible, finding it the quietest and the least crowded part of the school – until suddenly, he could feel the sunlight being blocked from his eyelids. He frowned at the intrusion into his space, but when he opened his eyes his expression softened.

"Oh," he said, "it's you."

"Ciaossu, Hibari."

"Is there something you want?"

Reborn smiled.

"I just wanted to know how your training has been progressing."

Hibari rolled onto his side, rearranging his arms from on top of his stomach to under his head and slipped his eyes shut again.

"What training?"

"Don't be like that, you know what I mean."

Reborn began patiently waiting for an answer, and Hibari wondered if he would leave if he kept quiet long enough. He listened to the sound of the wind rattling the chains of the rooftop fence, and from below on the school grounds he heard students enjoying their lunch break. But the shadow above his head didn't move, not even after more than a minute passed by, and instead of a reply he broke the silence with his own question.

"Baby," he said, "when will you fight me?"

"I'm not your opponent today."

"Then who?"

"I think you're both already well acquainted."

Hibari got the hint. "He can't fight."

"Don't underestimate me – I was his tutor, you know. Dino is plenty strong."

"I don't feel it."

"That's because he's going easy on you."

He rolled again onto his back, opening his eyes only to notice Reborn's grin had grown wider. "Why?"

"You don't know, do you?"

"Should it be something obvious?"

Reborn shrugged. "Who knows? Just something I think you'll figure out with time."

"I don't get it."

"You're not supposed to – at least, not yet. For now, focus on training hard." Then Reborn began walking away and Hibari sat up from his position, watching him walk to the edge of the rooftop before bringing a hand to brim of his hat. The little chameleon perched on top blinked once before climbing onto his fingers.

"There's a little bit of dirt on your sleeve."

Hibari glanced down. "I don't see anything."

When he looked back up there was nobody around. He knit his eyebrows in confusion before standing, walking to the spot he had last seen the baby, looking to the sides and below at the school grounds through the fence – but he was nowhere to be found. Just like that Hibari had been left alone to mull over Reborn's words.

 

 

The end of the break period had always been the perfect time for Hibari to find any rule breakers. Students were crowding around classrooms doors trying to get the last of a conversation with friends before resuming lessons. A few committee members walked by and acknowledged him with a slight bow before continuing on their way. Everything seemed to be quite ordered, more so than usual, and he wondered if it was because his subordinates had been working especially hard when they had noticed his irritable demeanor today. Hibari was, for once, a little disheartened that he could not find any misconduct to straighten out – until somebody by the windows caught his attention.

"Hey, you with the hoodie."

The student had been laughing loud enough to be heard over the collection of other conversations, but stopped when he heard the voice and turned around, searching through the crowd for who had called him. When his eyes met with Hibari his confusion automatically turned into a grin, and he began to take casual strides forward as his fingers laced together behind his head, spiked hair bleached to a shade of rust. He stopped one step in front of Hibari, taking a quick glance back to his friends before facing front again.

"You talkin' to me?"

"Who else here is out of uniform." When he glanced around the hallway the other students were already tucking in their shirts and straightening their ties.

He laughed. "I've heard of you – Hibari Kyouya. You're the head of the discipline committee."

"You heard right. Since I've already been introduced now tell me, what's your name?"

"I'm Kato Jun."

"You are a first year?"

"What about it."

"What makes you think you have any right to speak in this manner to an upperclassman?"

Kato unlaced his fingers and crossed his arms in front of his chest, straightening to full height. His grin widened when he realized he was a few inches taller, and then looked down at Hibari while feeling quite proud of himself when he saw from the corner of his eye the other students watching. He spoke loud enough for the audience to hear.

"Because I'm not afraid of you."

The next thing Kato knew he was flat on the ground, a sharp pain blooming across his back. He was staring up at the ceiling when the fluorescent light was covered by Hibari's face looking down at him as he placed his foot onto Kato's chest.

"Remove your sweatshirt at once."

"Fuck y–" As Kato began to curse, Hibari dug his foot into his chest and his breathing began to sputter. In a swift motion he removed one tonfa from his side, letting the sound of the metal slamming against the floor leave its imprint into Kato's ear. He let the look on his face crush the remaining rebellion.

"Remove your sweatshirt."

Kato nodded, but when Hibari's foot began to twist he croaked out, "Yes."

"You will not come into my school and question my authority." He looked around the hallway. "Is that clear?" The other students nodded in unison, and as Hibari walked away from the scene he could hear them begin talking.

"That's scary," someone whispered to her friend.

Another person in the crowd muttered, "I had a sweatshirt the other day but he didn't seem to care that much."

And it was true – he would let it slide if they could provide that the full uniform was underneath. But today was different and it felt good to let loose his aggravation, especially on somebody who looked like they would cause trouble in the future. First-year spirit needed to be crushed before they went rampant on his grounds.

Walking past the students and teachers returning to class, he turned just at the stairs leading to the next floor up when another distraction caught him, this time however it was amiable in nature. A voice rang down the halls, clear and mirthful and immediately he recognized who it was.

"Hey, Hibari. Hard at work or hardly working?"

He looked back to see Yamamoto, grip around the strap of his shoulder bag, and an uncomfortable looking Tsuna walking between him and Gokudera. While Tsuna had been incredulous with how casually he had addressed Hibari there was a scowl on Gokudera's face, hand that was once hidden deep in a pocket now exposed and curled into a fist, feigning a threat to punch Yamamoto.

"Why did you catch his attention?" Gokudera asked.

He grinned, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "If he's our teammate we should at least treat him like one."

"Yamamoto Takeshi," he acknowledged. Out of the group he seemed to be the one with the sharpest fangs, though he always hid them behind a smile. He also caused the least trouble, though it didn't actually mean much, but Hibari was nonetheless appreciative of his efforts.

His grin widened when he received the acknowledgment. "So, have you been training? Dino told us he was gonna be your tutor, hope he's not giving you too much trouble."

"I hope you give each other lots of trouble," Gokudera muttered.

Hibari ignored the insult, continuing to address Yamamoto. "What are you talking about? He's not my tutor."

"Really? But Reborn told us we'd each have to find a tutor."

"I refused him."

"What?" Gokudera interrupted. "Do you have any idea how bad it'd look on Tenth if you lost the fight because of that goddamn arrogance?"

Hibari crossed his arms. "That's an eye-opening sentiment, coming from a punk."

He took a step forward, anger flaring. "You wanna fight?"

"No fighting!" Tsuna spoke up, finally finding the voice that seemed to disappear whenever he crossed paths with the disciplinary leader. He reached out and grabbed Gokudera by the arm, hoping to stagger his movements.

"Someone has to beat into him how serious the situation is. Frankly, I volunteer."

Tsuna began to plead. "No one has to fight! Listen to Yamamoto – we're a team, let's act like it."

"You, little one. What are you saying about me being in a team?" Hibari asked.

Tsuna turned to him. "W-we'll be going now, don't mind us."

"But don't you want to see how much stronger I've gotten with the help of my 'tutor'?" Tsuna's shoulders stiffened.

"Nah, we've caused you enough trouble," Yamamoto suddenly interrupted, and replaced Tsuna in the middle of their group, slinging his arms around their shoulders. Tsuna gave him a grateful look, glad to have a comrade who could calm the situation.

"I can take him on," Gokudera spat, trying to keep the animosity.

"That's beside the point. Class is starting soon, we better get back before we're late. Right?" Yamamoto looked at Hibari expectantly.

"Don't cause problems," Hibari agreed, albeit with some reluctance.

"I'm glad we could reach an agreement," Yamamoto said. "Let's head back now."

"You –" Gokudera pointed at him "– don't let us down."

"When was I ever a part of 'us'?"

"This is serious, jackass! I don't care what happens to you, but the Tenth's position relies on you being a part of the team!"

Hibari sighed, shooting them one last look before responding, "Get back to class."

Then he began climbing the staircase that would lead up to his own classroom, and Gokudera was left grinding his teeth. He briefly considered chasing after Hibari, but in a moment of clarity he let himself be guided away by Yamamoto's arm slung around his shoulder.

"That guy," Gokudera began, "I don't know if we can even really rely on him."

"Don't say that," Yamamoto replied.

"But why couldn't Reborn have found someone better than him? He's a goddamn pain to deal with, right Tenth?"

"Well, he's strong."

"You're right." Yamamoto clapped Tsuna against his back. "I feel better just by knowing he's on our side."

"Were we talking to you?" Gokudera said.

Yamamoto laughed. "Trust me. He won't let us down."

"I hope so..." Tsuna said. But a feeling told him Yamamoto was right.

 

 

Resting on the school rooftop helped Hibari get through the rest of the day. His eyelids didn't feel as heavy as before and though he had to cover a few yawns it wasn't a terrible struggle to keep awake, especially since the second half of the school day was much shorter. When class finally let out he slowly began to pack his belongings as he let the crowd of students exit first, but was a little wary when he noticed a few of the girls running back into the room, talking in an excited rush to their friends who hadn't left yet.

"He's so handsome," someone said and grabbed onto her friend's hand, tugging them along.

"Who is he waiting for?" Another one asked.

Hibari cautiously approached the door hoping he was guessing wrong, but when he saw blond hair and an older bespectacled man waiting his mood automatically sobered. He wondered if he slowly stepped back into the classroom and used the window as an exit he could avoid interacting with Dino – too late, Hibari realized, as his cell phone went off and Dino looked up from his own, smiling at him.

"Kyouya!"

Hibari reached into his pant pocket and turned off his phone.

"How did you get my number?"

"Reborn gave it to me."

Hibari wanted to ask how Reborn got his number, but figured Dino wouldn't know either. Instead, he asked a different question.

"Why are you here?"

"For you."

Hibari crossed his arms, noticing from the corner of his eye some students milling around. He could tell they were wondering what business a foreigner had with their small-town school – even more so, what business he had with Hibari. One quick glance had them minding their own business, and they began to scatter.

"You're making a ruckus just by being here. Leave."

"Trust me, I'd rather be doing something else than train you. But I'm scared as hell with what Reborn might do to me if I didn't."

"Find someone else, then."

As Hibari turned around, he heard Romario beginning to speak with an angry tone. Then he heard Dino's voice replying weakly, apologetically, and Hibari felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait – wait a second Kyouya, hold on. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I volunteered for this."

"What does it matter to me what you decide to do with your time?"

"A lot, actually – but that's not the point. Right now I'm here to make sure you don't get killed."

"Who made you in charge?"

"Reborn actually," Dino said, finding some confidence in the statement. "Reborn told me to take care of you. The Varia is strong."

Hibari turned around. "Who?"

"You know, the Varia – the reason I'm here... no?" Hibari simply stared straight at him. Dino removed his hand from Hibari's shoulder and placed it on his forehead, exasperated. "Christ, Kyouya. How do you not know who they are? Did anyone tell you?"

"Shouldn't it have been you?"

Dino sighed. "I guess you're right that it was my responsibility. Come with me to the rooftop."

"Just to hear you talk? No thanks."

"I won't be just talking." Dino looked down each end of the hall before shifting the side of his coat, revealing his whip in its holder. He whispered, "You want to fight, don't you?"

Hibari's fingers involuntarily twitched. "You know the way?"

Dino nodded. "Of course."

"I'll meet you there."

 

 

Dino was looking off into the sky, watching the birds fly past high above. He held his hand up above his eyes, shielding them from intensity of the setting sun. Romario was once again leaning against the fence, a few bottles of water placed in a neat line down on the concrete ground beside him. One bottle was in his hand. Romario twisted the cap off and took a sip, watching the two others from a safe distance.

"Sure is a nice day today," Dino said. Then a breeze passed by and he shivered, pulling his jacket closer against his body. "Kinda getting chilly, though."

"I thought you said you we would fight."

Since coming to the rooftop all Dino had done was talk. He asked casual questions that Hibari curtly answered in hopes that it would speed up the process to fight. He hadn't even removed his whip from its holder. Hibari was the only one with his weapons in view, swinging the tonfa back and forth in his grip, antsy that Dino seemed to be treating the situation like they were friends hanging out after school.

"We'll get to that soon," Dino said, finally acknowledging the imminent fight, "I just want to tell you about the ring."

"I'm not interested," Hibari replied, getting to the end of his patience. Dino had done enough talking. "I just want to fight now."

"Don't be like that."

Hibari retrieved the ring from his pocket and held it in front of himself. He thought to what Reborn had told him earlier, about Dino going easy on him. He was feeling it now with how nonchalant Dino was acting.

"I'm throwing this away."

Dino suddenly perked up. "Hey – don't do that!"

He placed the ring back into his pocket. "Fight me, then."

"You're so troublesome, you know that?" Dino finally removed his whip from the holder. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. If I win and you lose, you have to train with me to be a part of Tsuna's family. No exceptions."

"And what if I win?"

"I leave you alone. I tell Reborn you're fully capable, and we never see each other again because you've proven to me that you don't need help." Dino started stretching his arms. He knew Hibari wouldn't turn down his offer.

He brandished his weapons. "I don't need you."

Dino smirked. "Let's see about that."

Hibari made the first move. He lunged forward directly toward Dino, who was still standing in the same spot with an irritating smirk on his face. He swung at the older male once, twice, three times – and each assault was narrowly avoided, Dino lurching backwards from every swing, hearing and feeling the tonfa cutting through the air. Hibari tried to strike again with a different approach, rotating the weapon in his grip as he moved in closer.

"My face _again_?" Dino said as he narrowly dodged the assault, but regretted taking his time to make a comment when he noticed Hibari's foot coming forward.

Dino pulled back but it was too late, and he felt the shoe meet with his stomach, letting out a grunt of surprise. The pain started to ache across where it landed, and he gasped as he tried to get air into his lungs and dodge a strike to his right arm. Hibari was learning, Dino could tell, knowing which part of his body to attack that would render him unable to fight. He wanted to test Hibari's capabilities up close, and though he was starting to vary more in his technique, he found the boy was still predictable in his approach. But for him to pick up Dino's movements in one day was still a good sign of growth – he had more to offer.

Dino finally started to fight back, and grasped his whip with one hand by the top of the handle and the other hand on the thong, using it like a short bar to stop another kick from Hibari. He moved back again, just enough to give himself time to fold and hold his whip in half in his hand, and began to swing it, still trying to test Hibari's close-combat. Whenever Hibari would move close he'd snap the whip across his legs or near the boy's face, causing him to draw back from the attack. With Hibari's wild and up-close fighting style, Dino would have to teach him how to get around long-range enemies.

They fought on even as their limbs became heavy, the sore feeling in the muscles returning and digging even deeper into their bodies from overexertion of yesterday. Dino's feet hurt against the concrete, every heavy step and jump back shot through his shins but he refused to show it. Hibari was breathing hard, tasting blood in his throat, but continued to try and land a devastating strike – one, just _one_ was all he needed – against Dino, to have his vision swimming or drop his weapon; he didn't realize how irritating that whip would be. Every time Hibari tried to inch closer it would be in his way, near grazing his face or stinging against his body, but if managed to ignore the pain he could get close to Dino. At a standstill Hibari soon realized that Dino would only retaliate whenever Hibari tried to attack.

"You're going easy on me," Hibari said.

"You think _I'm_ going easy on _you_?"

"Don't just stand there. Fight me."

"I have been."

Hibari advanced toward Dino, and the older male dodged to the side, snapping his half-folded whip across Hibari's back and watched as he grit his teeth from the impact. Dino smirked. But Hibari soon turned to Dino.

"You've been using the same technique."

Dino unfolded the whip and ran his hand over it. "Trust me, if I used this properly you wouldn't even be able to get close to me. It would cut you like a knife."

"Try it."

He folded his whip in half again.

"Kyouya, I don't want to hurt you like that."

He narrowed his eyes at Dino and began another flurry of attacks. Dino just managed to barely dodge them all except for the last swing and he stumbled backward, once again clutching his abdomen, eyes wide as he looked at Hibari. This time it really hurt. He was having trouble breathing, each inhale felt like he was taking in no air and each exhale like he was letting too much out. For a moment Hibari tilted his head to the side like he was contemplating Dino's injured state.

"I thought you weren't going easy," Hibari mocked, watching Dino clutching the fence to keep himself from collapsing. "Or are you just weak?"

"Kyouya." He managed to say with effort, forming words around his gasps. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Yes."

Hibari gave him a few moments to catch his breath, but in those minutes of recovery something mixed into Dino's adrenaline, making his grip tighten around the handle of the whip. That something felt a little like anger, and a little disappointment. If Hibari was really trying to kill him he wouldn't have given Dino time, but without a moment's hesitation he had replied with yes, a mocking tone in his voice, like he didn't see Dino as a threat. He couldn't let Hibari think of him like that.

"You really want me to fight you?" Dino said, taking in a few last deep breaths before finally letting go of the fence and straightened his back out.

There was a difference in his tone that Hibari could hear. He didn't bother to give a verbal reply, but his arms went back into position, his tonfa bared and gleaming in the setting sun.

"You asked for it," Dino said.

He uncoiled his whip, letting out the full length and gave it a few test flicks. Like this, Dino knew the fight would end soon. Then suddenly Hibari's eyes went wide when he saw it curling nearly around Dino's body and suddenly slashing through the air in quick succession. Then he let it crack, the sound resonating into Hibari's ears. Dino grinned.

"It's my party trick."

Suddenly the whip was out again, catching around Hibari's torso and dragging him closer. He stumbled with it, trying to pull back, but it was wrapped tight. He spun around to loosen its grip and broke free but then he heard the snap of the whip again through the air and suddenly he felt it binding his legs together. Dino tugged and Hibari fell flat on his back, the air leaving his lungs in a hurry. From here he could tell the sky was turning orange. Then he heard a chuckle and quickly unbound his legs, aggravated, standing up and running at Dino.

Dino had looped his whip to catch Hibari's wrists as he tried to strike, dragging the boy closer and unbalancing him. Hibari wondered how he could have been so careless, letting a cheap trick like that bring him down. Then Dino pulled the whip again and forced Hibari to drop his tonfa when his arms jerked to the side. Keeping his wrists bound, he quickly kicked aside one of the weapons out of Hibari's reach before picking up the other.

Romario had appeared beside Dino with two opened bottles of water. They exchanged what was in their hand, Dino giving Romario the tonfa as he accepted the bottle of water and took a long drink that left it nearly empty. Then he turned to Hibari, arms still tangled in the loop of the whip and on his knees.

"Pack your bags," Dino said, grinning down at him, "looks like we're going on a road trip."


	5. Starting the Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE AWARD FOR SLOWEST WRITER GOES TOOO

The first thing Hibari did after arriving home that night was to call Kusakabe over the phone.

“H-Hibari-san?” Kusakabe answered when he picked up, shocked that he had received a call instead of the other way around. “Is there something you need?”

“The next few days – look after the school. Make sure nothing happens.” A small pause. “ _Nothing_.”

“What?”

“Can you do that?”

“Y-yes sir.”

“Good.” Another pause. “Goodnight.”

Then Hibari hung up, leaving Kusakabe even more confused.

Hibari went into his closet and pulled out his suitcase, mind briefly going blank over what he needed to bring. He had told his parents he was leaving on an extra-curricular trip and they had shared one long, quiet look before turning to their son and telling him to be safe.

Dino had said they’d be gone for a few days – but how long was that? Three? Four? He never specified an exact amount of time. He had chattered incessantly after the fight about spending some time with Hibari and touring around Japan, but Hibari paid little attention to what he had been saying and more concerned with his loss against Dino. Romario had found the infirmary, but no amount of pleading from Dino could make Hibari let him them take care of his injuries – most of them were just flesh-wounds, cuts and scrapes and bruises that would heal over time without the need for immediate attention. He just went to the washroom, washed the sweat and blood from his skin, and covered up any visible injuries to the best of his abilities before heading home.

Now he was shuffling through his closet and drawers, folding clothing into his suitcase and other possessions he would need for at least three days. Dino said he could meet Hibari at his home but he refused, stating he would meet them tomorrow morning at the school. Dino had been a little pushy, but when he realized Hibari wasn’t about to give his address away anytime soon he resigned to accept Hibari’s decision.

“Kyouya.” He turned away from the closet and saw his mother standing at his bedroom doorway. When she had his attention she walked into the room and held out her hand, a small key in her palm. “Don’t be reckless,” she said when he accepted the key, and when he nodded she touched her son on the cheek before walking out, shutting the door behind herself.

Hibari looked down at the key in his hand. He didn’t understand.

 

Sleek, dynamic, and a chrome red exterior – a Ferrari was the exact type of car Hibari had expected Dino to drive.

But when an unremarkable black vehicle with tinted windows had arrived near the front of the school gates in the early morning Hibari had ignored the single short honk of the car slowly approaching until it had stopped in front of him. Hibari couldn’t see through the tinted windows but when the door opened and Dino stepped out from the driver’s side Hibari was taken aback, even though his expression remained neutral.

“Good morning, Kyouya.” Dino said. He lifted the sunglasses from his eyes and placed them on his head before he smiled. “The sun in my eyes makes it hard to drive.”

Hibari yawned instead of responding. A few more hours of sleep would have been nice.

He grabbed the handle of his luggage and walked past Dino toward the trunk of the car. The trunk popped opened, and he put his luggage inside before shutting it closed and sliding into the backseat. As soon as Hibari was seated and comfortable, Dino had taken his place back in the driver's side.

Romario was in the front passenger seat, a few brochures in his hands. He turned toward Hibari and nodded his head as a greeting.

Hibari nodded back and replied, “Good morning.”

“Hey Kyouya, that's unfair don't you think?” Dino fastened in his seat belt and started the engine. “Why do you say hello to Romario and not me?”

He shrugged. “So far I like him better.”

Romario laughed at the offended look on Dino's face.

“Maybe it's supposed to be my story after all, Boss.”

“No way!” Dino said. He began to drive. “Kyouya is mine.”

“I don't belong to anyone.”

“Not like that! You're my student. My responsibility.”

“I don't belong to you.”

“Oh, you know what I mean.” Dino stopped at the red light. He took the opportunity to take one of the brochures from Romario's hand and passed it back to Hibari. “This is where we're headed, a city a few hours away. We're going to stay at a hotel there, but we're really headed toward the country side nearby for your first training session. Is that clear?”

Hibari flipped through the brochure of the city. It was a tourist's guide, plastered with advertisements of sight-seeing and activities. “I know this place.”

“You do?” Dino's face lit up. “Maybe you can show us around.”

“There's a hot spring nearby, too,” Romario said, “we should check it out while we're there.”

Namimori was getting smaller.

Hibari watched outside the window as his hometown disappeared before his eyes. He saw through the tinted windows as they passed familiar shops and residences, sights and sounds that would be gone as Dino led him into the city. And as they crossed the edge of town, he turned his head to look back at Namimori one more time before putting his head against the window as they travelled forward on the long road ahead.

Dino noticed from the rear-view mirror.

“You gonna be homesick?” He asked. Hibari didn't respond. Dino continued. “It'll be alright. Just a few days, nothing more.”

“You'll have lots to do to and time will fly,” Romario added in. “Shopping. Food. Showing us tourists around. Fighting.”

“Because fighting is reason number one to come out this far, right? To go from some little town to some big, nice city?”

“Namimori is the best.”

Dino grinned. “Yeah, it is.”

Hibari's eyes slowly started to close again. Dino and Romario's voices went from clear to unintelligible as fatigue began to take over him. Last night had been another restless night, an occurrence happening much too frequently for his liking. But in the car, the drone of the engine and the wheels turning against the road provided a white noise in the background that made him tune out. The last thing Hibari remembered seeing were the rows of streetlamps passing by against the clear blue sky before he fell asleep.

 

“Hey Kyouya. Wake up.” Dino nudged at his arm. At the contact Hibari's eyes quickly opened and he drew out his tonfa to attack. Dino jumped back, his whip clutched and readied in his hands. “Whoa! I knew that would happen, but easy.”

Hibari looked over Dino's shoulder, and lowered his tonfa when he saw the hotel.

“Where are we?”

“We've arrived.”

“Here?”

“Yes, here.”

It looked expensive. Its pale bricks and multitude of windows reach high up into the city, and the hotel towered above the other buildings around. The main entrance to the hotel had perfectly green shrubs leading to the sliding glass doors. A fountain was placed in the middle of the roundabout, and Dino's modest rental car looked peculiarly placed between sleek luxury vehicles and valets.

Hibari was not impressed.

“This is excessive for a few days' trip.”

Dino shrugged. “These are the types of hotels that I'm use to staying in.”

“Boss,” Romario said from behind Dino, and flashed the cards in his hand. “I've got the room keys.”

“C'mon,” Dino ushered Hibari out of the car. “I've got your luggage out already.”

They walked through the front entrance which seemed to Hibari to be made of glass, crystals, and lights, into the elevator where Dino pressed the button to their floor.

“Here we are,” Romario said after they stepped out of the elevator and walked a few steps to their rooms.

“Which room is mine?” Hibari asked.

“You’re with me, Kyouya.” Dino flashed the access card in his hand.

“What about the second one?”

“That,” Romario said, rolling his luggage behind him, “is my room.”

“There’s a door that’ll connect us in case anybody needs anything.” When he noticed Hibari’s glare he added, “Don’t worry, there are two beds.”

With that final statement Dino swiped the card and opened the door.

Simple. That’s how Hibari would describe the decor. Understated. But the care taken into the overall aesthetic of the room and the wide city view outside the window tipped him off that quite a sum of money was spent to stay here. The rich brown colour of the wooden desks and chairs contrasted greatly with the rest of the room – pure white carpet and beddings? Hibari wondered just how much trust they put into their guests – with the monotony broken through texture by the one faux bark wall at the head of the two beds. Its tidiness was impeccable. Hibari took a glance at the television for some overlooked dust or a blot in the carpet but he couldn’t find any.

“Do you like it?” Dino asked, sounding quite pleased.

It was obviously catered for a western guest. He was surprised, with what little he knew of the Cavallone boss, that he hadn’t picked a gaudier looking hotel. Something more classical. Maybe plush velvet chairs and oak-engraved dressers if it was possible. A place that looked like the renaissance – but maybe that expectation was just all in Hibari’s head, remembering the hallways and rooms he dreamt to have walked through.

“Wao,” Hibari said. Then he shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Looks like I win the bet,” Romario quipped from the hallway before shutting their door and entering his own room.

“So hard to please.” Dino sighed before walking to the window. “But isn’t the view amazing? You can practically see the whole city from here.”

Hibari shrugged again. “It isn’t Namimori.”

“There must be something you like.”

He thought for a moment before replying, “Mattress.”

Dino turned away from the window.

“What?”

“The mattress. If this is good then any hotel is fine.”

He kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the nearest bed, nestling his head on the downy pillows. Hibari didn’t bother to slip under the blankets but stayed on top, closing his eyes and folding his arms across his chest. As he let his body relax he knew he could sleep like this if only it wasn’t for the feeling of being watched. He opened his eyes and looked at the opposite bed. Dino had moved away from the window to sit on the edge of the bed facing Hibari, and instead of looking away he cracked a smile at being caught staring.

“Getting comfortable, Kyouya?”

He turned on his side away from Dino.

“If you disturb my sleep I will bite you to death.”

“So I guess you like the mattress?”

Hibari thought for a moment. “It’s fine.”

Dino laughed. He wanted to continue the conversation, but was cut off by his cell phone ringing in his pocket. He sighed, digging it out from his pocket and Hibari heard him mutter _shit_ before answering the phone.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Dino said before speeding out the door.

It had been almost ten minutes before he had walked back into the room, and Hibari had almost fallen asleep on the bed. He had been busy picking at the little feathers poking through the duvet while his eyes wandered around the room again. He could watch television, but the remote was far away and Hibari didn’t feel like moving from his position. When his eyelids began to feel heavy is when Dino came back through the door, accidentally slamming it – this is what snapped Hibari out from nearly falling asleep. Dino was running a hand through his hair, the tattoo of blue flames on his left hand disappearing under blond strands.

“What’s wrong?” Hibari asked.

Dino laughed nervously. “Nothing! Hey, what do you want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.” Hibari turned away from Dino again. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Always doing your own thing.” Hibari felt a dip in the bed as Dino sat down. He felt a hand begin to play with a lock of his hair, and if it didn’t feel a little pleasant he would have pushed it away.

“What I really want is to fight you right now.”

“Easy, Kyouya. I’ve been showing a lot of self-restraint with you, please do the same for me.”

“Like what?”

“Like...” Dino thought for a moment. “Like not leaving you alone in a strange city.”

“Unlike you, I understand the transit system home.”

“I guess you’re right. So what’s for lunch?”

“Why do you always think about food?”

Dino laughed. “I’m Italian.”

There was the sound of a doorknob being jiggled, followed by a knock on the connecting door. Dino jumped, his hand immediately removing itself from Hibari’s hair.

“I’ll get it,” Dino said. He got up from the bed and unlocked the door.

“Hello again,” Romario said. He nodded in Hibari’s direction as acknowledgement before stepping further into the room. Then he turned to Dino. “It’s the afternoon now, Boss. Were you going to grab lunch anytime soon?”

“I was actually in the middle of discussing that with Kyouya.” Dino heard a scoff from the bed and he smiled. “I think we’ve made up our minds.”

“Oh?” Romario replied.

“Kyouya,” Dino said as he turned to him, “come with us. If you do I’ll definitely fight you tomorrow anytime, anywhere. That’s what you want, right?”

“You were going to fight me anyway. Isn't that why we're here?”

“Yeah, but. That isn't the point.” Hibari saw Dino step closer and his hand moving upward, almost touching Hibari's hair again before he stalled and thought better of it. He placed his hand beside Hibari's head instead. “Please?”

Hibari focused on the tattoo of the flames on Dino's left hand as it laid beside his head. The blue ink still looked crisp on the edges, and he wondered why he decided to get that permanently etched into his skin.

“You're paying.”

Dino laughed.

“Of course I am,” he said. “I've got to look after my student.”

 

Lunch was not as tiresome as Hibari thought it would have been. Dino was deceptively mindful for how persistent he was; while he had practically pleaded for Hibari to go have lunch with them, he was less nosy during the actual meal. And when Romario had said something, Dino laughed before stealing food from his plate.

Sometimes, Hibari wondered if Romario was Dino's father, but discarded the idea as silly. A father would not be calling his son Boss the way Romario would, and they looked far too different to be directly related. But his actions – even if Dino was the boss, he took Romario's advice seriously, sometimes even looking like a child being scolded when he did something wrong. So even if they weren't, they seemed close like family.

With the time in between until dinner Dino had let Hibari roam the city on his own. He had directed Dino toward the shopping centre, glad to have some time to collect himself and be alone to go at his own pace. He took a walk in the park, and found the library where he spent hours reading until he had to meet with Dino and Romario again, both carrying shopping bags with grins on their faces.

Now they were back at the hotel, full from dinner and ready to go to bed before the next day's training. Hibari was rummaging through his suitcase for his pyjamas, and laying on top of his clothes was the key his mother had given him. He wondered what it opened, and slipped it into the front pocket of his pyjamas to inspect it later that evening when Dino was asleep.

“Whoa – what are you doing?”

“I'm changing.” Already in his pyjama pants, he folded his shirt into his suitcase to put on his shirt. “I don't see why you're bothered when we're both men. Just look away if it does.”

“Well, that isn't the reason but hey” – Hibari felt a hand against his upper back – “you sure you'll be fine tomorrow?”

Hibari took a step away from Dino's hand and glared.

“Don't touch me.”

“Relax, I'm just worried. Turn around again, I won't touch you this time. I just wanna see something.”

Hibari hesitated, but slowly turned around again, exposing his back to Dino. Even if it wasn't his hand, he could feel Dino's eyes on him.

“Did I really do that?”

“Do what?”

“Your back is bruised from yesterday still. It's pretty big too, I'm surprised you haven't felt it. Does it hurt to move?”

“No.” Hibari moved toward the mirror and looked back into it. Dino wasn't lying – his upper back on the right side, between his shoulder blade and neck was a purple bruise that was longer than it was wide. It almost reached to his spine, looking like a line going diagonal. “It's just cosmetic. I don't feel anything.”

“Maybe we should take it easy tomorrow, just give you a day to rest?”

“You promised to fight me tomorrow.”

“I swear I will, but recovery first.”

“Cavallone, I'm not weak. This won't affect my fighting you tomorrow. What will affect me is your hesitance.”

“I swear, I _swear_ we'll fight. But listen to me, if you get too hurt on this trip, and you go fight the Varia, you'll lose.”

“I _won't_ lose.”

“Kyouya, you _will lose._ ” Dino's lips were pursed in a line, frustrated, but his eyes were worried. “I don't think you realize, or care, but _I_ care about you more than you know. I didn't come to Japan just to handicap you then watch you die.

“I'm tired of constantly begging you, so tomorrow morning decide what you want. And please, consider taking my advice.”

Dino sighed and walked away. He was already dressed to go to sleep, and lay down on the bed.

When Hibari had finished buttoning up his shirt, he climbed under the blankets in his own bed, turning off the lamp on the night table in between their beds. He thought about the expression on Dino's face just a moment ago. They've met maybe three times, so why did he care so much?

“Cavallone,” Hibari said. He blinked, allowed his eyes to adjust to the dark. “I'll consider your words.”

“Thank you.” Dino replied.

The weight of the key in his pocket reminded Hibari to look at it later tonight, perhaps by the light of his phone if the city lights weren't enough.

“I came here to find you again,” Dino said.

Hibari didn't know what Dino said since he was mumbling.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He paused. “Goodnight, Kyouya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for staying on this turtle ride with me.  
> :'3c


	6. There and Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter whaaaatt.

When did the hotel room grow so cold? Maybe in the middle of sleep he had kicked off the covers. Hibari began to shiver and reached down to pull the blanket back up but he couldn’t find it. Instead his hand was reaching through blades of grass, tickling between his fingers and cool against his skin.

_Grass?_

Hibari opened his eyes.

Ceiling replaced by a night sky, city lights replaced by brilliant stars. He would have thought it beautiful if the sight didn’t instead confuse him. These dreams were happening far too often for his liking, and too real to ignore.

He was somewhere he didn’t know again.

Hibari sat up from the grass, squinting in the dark as he looked around. He still could only barely make out the world around him, everything appeared like little dark lumps. But soon details began to come into his vision, just enough that he could make out where he was. A courtyard. But not like the one from his first dream, no cracked fountain or wild weeds brushing against his ankles. This place looked maintained. His eyes trailed to the house to his right, and the shape of it looked almost familiar, maybe he should recognize it. Every window of the building was dark except for one on the upper floor that faced toward him.

Hibari stood up. His mind was awake but his body still felt unsteady. Moving his legs felt like weights for the first few steps, and the grass beneath his bare feet felt damp like it had been raining earlier in the day. He brushed off stray blades of grass from the back of his pyjamas, thankful that the temperature hadn’t dropped down too much even in the night as he warmed up the longer he was awake, and had stopped shivering. When he got close enough to the building he could see there were flower buds that were blooming attached to a lattice leaning against the wall. It was probably springtime here. Namimori was just entering into autumn.

He walked around the house until it led him to a wooden backyard door and when he pushed it open the old hinges creaked in place. The door led him to walk a few more steps until he came to the front of the house, and that’s when it became recognizable. The dried well with shrubs. He was at the Cavallone’s home in Italy.

That’s right, Hibari thought, that clumsy idiot Cavallone lives here. And he remembered his deal from before, the one he never got to fulfill. He may be able to send Hibari back home.

With a new purpose, Hibari walked up to the front of the house and tried to gently open the door. Of course it was locked. He went to the other side of the house, maybe there was a side door leading in or an opened window, but there was nothing useful that Hibari make out. He ended up back at the front entrance staring at the handle. If only he had his tonfa with him he could have smashed the door open but he didn’t sleep with them in his hands, they were placed beside him on the night table at the hotel.

The key.

He still had the key in his pocket and had fallen asleep before he could properly inspect it. Hibari reached into his chest pocket and pulled it out – it didn’t look like anything special, just a regular shaped piece of metal, its purpose that it could open a lock. Maybe this one. He slid it into the lock, heard the tumblers clicking and tried to turn it gently in place. But he got nothing.

Hibari scowled.

What was the point in carrying this around if it didn’t open the door?

Just then the door swung open and Hibari reacted by taking a quick step to the side. He watched as Dino tumbled outside, landing on his front as the frying pan flew out from his hand and skipped across the cobblestone, the metal against stone ringing loud and sharp in the quiet of the night.

Hibari raised his eyebrow.

“Did you really intend to protect your territory like that?”

“Ow, ow...” Dino sat up and rubbed at his elbow. He could feel the sting of the scraped skin when his fingers pressed into it, but couldn’t tell if there was any blood. “Distracted is all...”

“Your excuse is as poor as your footwork.”

“No, serious!” Dino stood up, and ambled passed Hibari toward the frying pan to pick it up. “Recognized it was you, then stalled and tripped.”

“Like something like that would hit” – Hibari interrupted himself – “wao, your Japanese has improved.”

“Noticed?”

“Coherent, but not good.”

A second pair of footsteps were making their way in direction of the front door. Dino, alarmed, ran back inside the house and slammed the door leaving Hibari alone. From the outside Hibari tried to listened to the conversation, but there wasn’t a single word he could make out. In a few minutes one pair of footsteps left, and Hibari heard the door being opened again. Dino poked his head through the opening, looking side to side until he noticed Hibari sitting on the ground with his back against the brick of the house.

“Inside?” Dino asked.

“Do you know how to bring me back home?”

“Right,” Dino said. He held out a hand for Hibari. “Promise from month ago.”

“A month?” Hibari questioned. He ignored Dino’s outstretched hand and pushed himself up off the ground. “Was it not early than that?”

Dino shook his head.

“Little over month? You disappeared in smoke and thought you gone home. Surprised now you back.” He motioned with the frying pan in his hand. “Come. We can speak more in bedroom.”

He followed Dino into the house. Most of the lights were turned off in the halls, and Dino suggested they kept it this way unless Hibari wanted to be spotted. And while Hibari also lived in a rather large house Cavallone, Hibari thought, definitely lived in a mansion.

“What is that?” Dino said, pressing his heel into the lump on the floor. “Stepping on?”

“My toes.”

“Oh.” Dino quickly stepped off Hibari’s foot. “Sorry.”

At the end of the hallway on the upper floor, light was filtering from the crack of a slightly opened door. Dino pushed it opened and motion for Hibari to go inside. Where Hibari preferred the essentials to have a simple aesthetic, he noticed Dino’s dressers and tables were engraved on its posts and edges, furniture possibly passed down in his family from its aged appearance. His bed, which was too big for just one person, had at least four scattered pillows. He had clothing hanging over the arm of his sofa. There was a window that overlooked into the courtyard. The single lit window Hibari had noticed while outside was from here, Dino’s bedroom.

He noticed Hibari staring at the window.

“Good view from here,” Dino said as he shut the door behind them. “You moving outside and I got scared.”

“Scared?”

“Crazy stuff happening.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I try keep out unless father makes me go.”

“The man with the glasses?”

Dino laughed.

“Romario? Sometimes I wish. I love father but wants me in family business.” Dino sat down on the sofa, not caring that the clothing on the cushions were being crushed underneath him. “I want to be a respectable man, no mafia crap.”

“By mafia, do you mean law breakers? I discipline people like you.”

“Me? No, not one of them.” Dino waved a hand across the room. “You don’t have to stand.”

Dino was already on the sofa, so there were two other options. There was a wooden chair in front of a desk, or the bed with a surplus of pillows. Hibari chose the bed. He crawled on top, moving a pillow that was caught under his back to the side.

“What time is it?” Hibari asked.

“Five o’clock.”

Hibari glanced out the window. The sun was finally rising and turned the outside world from ink to hazy blues. He heard the beginning of the early birds’ chirps. He yawned and closed his eyes.

“Cavallone. When I wake up you keep your promise.”

“Yes. You can borrow from me too.”

“What do I need from you?”

“Clothes. Unless you walk in pyjamas. And no shoes.”

Hibari heard Dino moving and his hands went to his sides to grab his tonfa as an instant reaction. But remembering they were missing, he put a hand out to stop Dino instead.

“You can sleep on the couch,” Hibari said.

“But my bed. Tired too.”

“Your bed that you offered to me.”

“Room for two.” Dino began throwing the excess pillows onto the floor. “We don’t even touch.”

“No.”

“See?” Dino was ignoring the glare aimed at him and laid down on the bed opposite Hibari. He tapped the space in between. “Lots room.”

“You move too much, you touch me, you snore, you wake me up – I bite you to death. Is that clear?” Hibari turned onto his side, facing the window and away from Dino.

“Yeah,” Dino responded, then, “oh.”

“What?”

“Does back hurt? Under shirt.”

Hibari hadn’t realized that the neckline of his pyjama was low enough to expose the bruising near his neck. He tugged the collar up.

“That’s from an idiot.”

“Why?”

“None of your concern.”

“Mafia related?” Dino asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Lots Japanese with mafia here.” Dino continued the conversation. “Work together. Father does. Vongola does.”

Vongola. He remembers hearing Dino talking at him about it over dinner. Most of it went over his head because Hibari wasn’t interested, however that word had stuck in his mind.

“Sawada Tsunayoshi?”

“Who?”

Oh, Hibari thought, maybe this and that were unrelated. He tried another word.

“Varia?”

“Oh, those guys? No Japanese. But strong. Like Squalo, maybe the next boss. I go to school with him. Know him for long time.”

Now the conversation was changing and lost Hibari’s already weak interest.

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Oh right. Sorry, you’re tired.” Dino reached over to the nightstand and flicked the switch on the lamp. The sun was in the sky enough now to cast a soft light inside even with the lights off. “Goodnight Kyouya.”

 

 

When Hibari woke up he poked his head out from underneath the blanket and saw that Dino was already awake. He was finishing the last of a sandwich and was watching television with the volume near to mute.

Hibari blinked a few times before registering the white walls and the tall gray buildings of the city outside the window. He was back in the hotel room.

Dino noticed from the corner of his eye Hibari was finally awake.

“Good morning Kyouya,” he said, and licked at the corner of his mouth to get some crumbs off his face. “It’s actually the afternoon though.”

“Where am I?”

“The hotel.” Dino pointed to a paper bag on the table. “I brought you some food.”

“Don’t want any.” Hibari tucked his head back under the blanket.

“Are you going back to sleep?” Dino got off his bed to stand in front of Hibari’s bed. “Did you wanna train today?”

“Let’s fight,” Hibari replied.

After that Dino waited for Hibari to move out from under the blankets, but instead he didn’t move at all.

Dino smiled.

“Guess you’re too tired. To be honest I’m glad you’re getting more rest.”

“Cavallone.”

“Yes?"

“When did you start learning Japanese?”

“Ah – about seven, almost eight years now? I passed the fluency test maybe four years ago. Once you get the structure down it’s a pretty easy.” Suddenly Dino laughed. “Wow Kyouya, I can’t believe you asked me a personal question.”

“I was only wondering,” Hibari replied, “about when you started speaking intelligently instead of babbling like an idiot.”

Dino’s voice began to gain intensity.

“Hey, does that mean it started to happen?”

“What happened?”

He ignored Hibari’s question.

“How many times has it been? Did you ki– _oof_.” Hibari had kicked Dino in the stomach from underneath the blanket when he had, in his excitement, gotten too close and placed his hands on the blanket with Hibari underneath.

Dino let himself stumble backward and fell down onto his own bed. He placed his hand on his abdomen where Hibari had kicked him. It was sore.

“I guess not.” Dino said.

“What started to happen?” Hibari asked again. He had finally risen up from underneath the blanket.

“You’re –” Dino’s cellphone ringing made him stop, and instead he reached into his pocket. He checked the screen.“Crap. Important call again.”

Dino left the room with the cellphone at his ear. Hibari slid back under the blankets, closed his eyes, counted to ten, and opened them again looking around. Television still on. Dino’s messy bed. He was still in the hotel.

Dino came back into the room after a few minutes, walked toward the window and looked out. Hibari wanted to ask him about what he was going to say before he was interrupted by the call, but Dino spoke first.

“Hey Kyouya,” he said as he turned around, “you know where we’re training, right?”

For the second time that afternoon, Hibari sat up from underneath the blanket. Maybe his question could wait. This was much more important.

“Where are we going?”

“Everywhere.”

Hibari frowned. “Elaborate.”

“There’s a forest, and a beach around here for natural terrain. I’ve heard of an abandoned building about an hour from here too, a school I believe. It’ll build up your experience in an urban environment.”

“That’s all?”

“I mean, those are the places Romario and I managed to scope out. We’ll move around from location to location finding more suitable places to train as we go. Your biggest weakness, Kyouya, is attacking before thinking and not accounting for your opponent’s capabilities. Especially if it’s not close combat.”

“That’s because I’ll crush them before they even manage to even try.”

“And that” – Dino pointed at Hibari – “is the attitude that can land you on your knees in a bind.”

“Is that an invitation to fight now, Cavallone? I’m not opposed to training in this urban environment.” Hibari begun to shift his hand toward the tonfa on the table beside.

“Wait no, Kyouya I’m sorr–”

The tonfa soared through the air toward Dino’s chest and his eyes widened. Quickly, he managed to dodge the tonfa by pushing himself flush against the wall, and his hand reached beneath his coat to grab the whip underneath and latch it around the tonfa before it could hit the glass of the window. He pulled back on his whip and let it thump against his bed. Eyes still wide, he glanced over to Hibari.

“I have mastered long range attacks,” Hibari said.

“Kyouya, you nearly gave me a damn heart attack. And this window.” Dino pointed to the window. “How would I explain the damage to the staff if it actually went through?”

“You are a tourist to Japan, going around the country to look for good spots to pick a fight. This hotel is one of them.”

Dino winced.

“Don’t say it like that, it’s too honest.”

Hibari reached for his other tonfa and watched Dino tense. He readied his whip a second time.

“I’m finished listening to your wants – now we listen to mine. I want to fight today.”

“And you won’t change your mind about resting at all?”

“No.”

“Not even in the slightest?”

“Cavallone.”

Dino sighed.

“Fine, fine.” Then he walked toward the door that led into Romario’s room. He began to knock. “Just so you know, I’m not going to hold back.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

“You might regret that.”

“I intend to win.”

“We’ll see. We’re gonna leave as soon as you’re ready.” Dino thought for a moment. “Don’t take it too personally when you lose, okay? Because you’re gonna have to get use to it.”


End file.
